Hydropneumatic flush tank with float outlet valve



March 18, 1952 c. GRIFFON 2,589,691

HYDROPNEUMATIC FLUSH TANK WITH FLOAT OUTLET VALVE Fil'd Jan. 25, 1950 Ill/ll 11/11/7711! I I IN V EN TOR.

AH'ot-ney Patented Mar. 18, 1952 OFFICE HYDROPNEUMATIC FLUSH TANK WITH FLO-AT OUTLET VALVE Claudius Grifion, St.-Etienne, France Application January 23, 1950, Serial No. 140,030 In France July 8, 1949 4 Claims.

Flushing systems generally known to this day are of the automatic type including a float controlled admission of water and an exhaust controlled by a counterweight associated with a siphon; such flushing systems show numerous drawbacks by reason of their comparatively intricate mechanism that is consequentl easily misadjusted and frequently damaged.

There exist also hydropneumatic flushing containers provided with a rubber float valve; such arrangements operate more reliably and more regularly but their high cost limits their possibility of use. On the other hand both types of flushing containers are always somewhat intricate in their mechanism or in their mounting and consequently not only does this intricacy increase the cost price of the system, but also the least unavoidable adjusting or replacing operation ailecting a worn part is difiicult to be executed by the actual user and involves the calling in of a skilled workman.

My invention has for its object to remove such drawbacks and to this purpose I have designed an improved flushing, the nature of which will appear clearly from inspection of the accompanying drawings illustrating by way of example and by no means in a binding sense a preferred embodiment of my invention. In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a general outer view on a reduced scale of the Water closet flushing system according to my invention, in which dot and dash lines show the operative position of the lever controlling the flushing and the exhaust of the water.

Fig. 2 is a general view in longitudinal cross section on a reduced scale of a double flushing container, the dot and dash lines illustrating the movements of the pusher member and or the rubber ball valve produced through a rocking of the control lever.

Fig. 3 shows on a larger scale, the securing of the upper container on the lower container together with the fluid-tight and exhaust packings. The liquid as illustrated as being exhausted through the agency of a cushion of compressed air from the upper into the lower container.

Fig. 4 illustrates also on a larger scale the arrangement of the control lever with reference to the rubber ball valve at the lower end of the lower container, the dot and dash lines showin the displacement of the pusher member and of.

the ball valve, provided for exhausting the water contained in the lower container.

As apparent from the drawings, the double flushing container according to the invention includes a lower container having a predetermined capacity suiting the application required for the flushing system. Said lower container at is made of stamped and welded metal sheets so that it may be fluidtightly sealed except for the openings mentioned hereinafter. Said container is illustrated as assuming a cylindrical shape in the drawing, but obviously this shape may be modified so as to suit the application considered, the appearance required and the intended manner of securing the container, while retaining in all cases the same operative features.

The bottom on of the container a, assumesa slope that is suflicient for furthering the exhaust of water and the return into its lowermost normal position of a ball valve 2) engaging, when the water has been exhausted, the seat formed by the opening 01 in the sleeve 0 that is welded or screwed with the interposition of a packing into the bottom c1 of said container a. A pipe d including a threaded connection forms an extension for the opening 0 in the sleeve c through which the exhausted water is removed.

A threaded connection e is eccentrically welded to the bottom cm of the container a and is adapted to be connected with the water feeding pipe.

The ball valve 1) is made of rubber having a suitable structure so as to match the periphery of the seat c1 in a fiuidtight manner and to form a joint therewith while retaining a suflicient hardness to prevent too speedy a Wear.

To the pipe (2 is welded a lateral connectio d1 (Fig. 4) inside which is threadedly engaged a sleeve 1 opening inside the pipe d. A spindle g is revolubly mountedin said sleeve 1. A pusher member 91 welded to the inner end of said spindle forms a radial projection inside the pipe 61 so as to register with the opening in the seat (21. A control lever 71. that is secured to the outer end of the spindle g through a pin engages the squareshaped extension or terminal portion of the spindle.

To the upper end of the container a is welded a connection as; that is threaded outwardly and over which is screwed a connection i1 correspondingly provided on the lower end of the upper container 2' (Figs. 2 and 3).

The upper container i assumes a shape similar to that of the lower container a but its volume is a reduced one. Its size should be selected carefully in order to obtain a predetermined pressure for the cushion of compressed air formed at the moment of the filling of the lower container a to an extent such that the water enters the lower part of said container'i up to a predetermined level. Said container i is perfectly fluidtight.

.bottom of the container.

Its lower periphery forms a flaring flange i2 capping the upper part of the lower container a at the moment of the screwing of the connection az inside the connection ii. The bottom is of the upper container that is located above the terminal lower edge of the flange i2 carries the connection i1 referred to hereinabove.

A plurality of elastic washers 7 are provided as packings between the cooperating connections a2 and i1 and the container bottom is in the manner illustrated in Fig. 3 and to said washers are positioned to either side of an exhaust washer 70 provided with an axial opening that has a reduced size of a predetermined diameter. The upper or covering wall of the container 2 is open axially to carry a threaded connection I engaging a tapped cover m with the interposition of a packing. The opening thus provided through the connection 1 allows when required an adjustment of the pressure prevailing inside the upper container 1'.

It will be immediately remarked that the mechanism of said flushing system is exceedingly simple and allows an easy mounting which leads to the advantages disclosed hereinabove while removing prior drawbacks.

The operation of the arrangement is as follows: when the water is exhausted from the vlower container a which is thus drained, the

ball valve b engages its seat 01 and closes the Fresh water is then admitted through the connection e and the associated feed water pipe whereby the lower container a is filled. This filling has a double re- .sult; on one hand, it urges with an increasing .force the ball valve 1) against its seat 01 so as to close perfectly the exhaust opening and, on the other hand, it compresses gradually the air contained in the superposed containers. This compression of the air increases gradually and reaches a, maximum pressure of predetermined value that equilibrates the thrust of the incoming water fed through the connection e. The size and capacity of the upper and lower containers are selected in a manner such that when equilibrium is reached, the water has entered the upper container 1' up to a level very little above its bottom is. The cushion of air compressed in the upper portion of the container 1 balances thus the pressure of water.

When the operating lever h is caused to pivot into its position drawn in dot and dash lines in Fig. 1, the pusher member g1 lifts the ball valve b off its seat or (Fig. l) and said ball valve rises with an eddying motion inside the lower container a. The pressure of the cushion of compressed air being first exerted on the water inside the upper container 2, there is provided a preliminary reduced flow of water through the exhaust pipe d during the few seconds required for the water in the container 1' to flow into the container a through the exhaust washer is. At this moment the pressure of the compressed air cushion is exerted directly through the opening in the washer is on the water in the lower container a, which water is then expelled violently and rapidly through the exhaust pipe d. The

filling of the container is then resumed systematically as disclosed hereinabove.

Obviously and as apparent from the preceding disclosure, my invention is by no means limited'to its embodiments and applications dis- I closed more particularly hereinabove with reference to accompanying drawings and it includes 4 on the contrary all the. modifications falling within the scope of accompanying claims.

What I claim is:

1. A flushing system for water closets and the like applications, comprising two superposed containers of which the upper container is smaller, a connection of small cross-sectional area connecting directly and permanently the upper end of the lower container with the lower end of the upper container, a connection for feeding water opening into the lower end of the lower container, an exhaust connection opening into the lower end of the lower container and an elastic ball valve adapted to close the end of the exhaust connection cooperating with the lower container for closing normally the latter and hand-operated means adapted to urge said ball valve away from its container-closing position into the mass of water filling the lower container.

2. A flushing system for water closets and the like applications, comprising two superposed containers free of any inner structure, of which the upper container is smaller, a tapped connection on one container, a threaded connection on the other container adapted to threadedly engage the tapped connection for providing a permanently open passageway between the two containers, yielding packings fitted between the connections and a washer provided with a central port of small predetermined diameter fitted removably between said yielding packings for defining the cross-sectional area of the flow of water between the two containers through the permanently open passageway, a connection for feeding water opening into the lower end of the lower container, an exhaust connection opening into the lower end of the lower container and an elastic ball valve adapted to close the end of the exhaust connection cooperating with the lower container for closing normally the latter and hand-operated means adapted to urge said ball valve away from its container-closing position into the mass of water filling the lower container.

3. A flushing system for water closets and the like applications, comprising two superposed containers of which the upper container is smaller, 9. connection of small cross-sectional area connecting directly and permanently the upper end of the lower container with the lower end of the upper container, a connection for feeding water opening into the lower end of the lower container, an exhaust connection opening into the lower end of the lower container and an elastic ball valve adapted to close the end of the exhaust connection cooperating with the lower "container for closing normally the latter, a spindle revolubly carried in the sidewall of the exhaust connection, a projection rigid with the inner end of the spindle inside the exhaust connection and adapted to urge the ball upwardly into the mass of water inside the lower container to open the communication between the exhaust connection and the lower container for a predetermined angular position of the spindle and a hand operated lever rigidly secured to the outer end of the spindle for controlling its angular position.

4. A flushing system for water closets and the like applications, comprising two superposed containers of which the upper container is smaller, the relative size of the two containers being such that the air cushion above the water adapted to fill the lower container together with a portion of the upper container equilibrates the pressure of the said water between wide'prede-' termined limits, a connection of small crosssectional area connecting directly and perma-- nently the ugper end of the lower container with the lower end of the upper container, a connection for feeding water opening into the lower end of the lower container, an exhaust connection opening into the lower end of the lower container and an elastic ball valve adapted to close the end of the exhaust connection cooperating with the lower container for closing normally the latter and hand-operated means adapted to urge said ball valve away from its container- 15 2,048,674

closing position into the mass of water filling the lower container.

CLAUDIUS GRIFFON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 Number Name Date 629,463 Pasman July 25, 1899 803,355 McMullen Oct. 31, 1905 1,501,620 Reed July 15, 1924 1,898,337 Brooks Feb. 21, 1933 Brannen July 28, 1936 

